Editing Psion Series 7 Troubleshooting Guide

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[[File:Psion netBook.jpg|thumb|420px|The badge on the keyboard bezel, between the 6 and 7 keys, is not decoration. Psion's own support advice was to press it firmly to reseat the screen cable. This is a [[Psion netBook|netBook]]; the [[Psion Series 7|Series 7]] carries a Series 7 badge in the same place and is otherwise the same machine.]]

Fault-finding for the '''[[Psion Series 7]]''' and, for everything mechanical and electrical, the '''[[Psion netBook]]''' — the two share the same motherboard and the same case.<ref name="lindsay">Eric Lindsay, [http://psiphi.server101.com/epoc/psion7.htm "Psion 7 and NetBook Portable Computers"], mirrored at ericlindsay.com. Source for the shared motherboards and revision history, the PC Card power differences, the serial-number date coding, the memory-size restrictions, the microphone press-fit fault and the RS-232 port cover. Includes material posted to comp.sys.psion by Ralph Barrett.</ref> Faults specific to the netBook's OS-from-CompactFlash arrangement are in the [[Psion netBook Troubleshooting Guide]]; the Windows CE machine has its own page at [[Psion netBook Pro Troubleshooting Guide]].

'''No Psion service manual for the Series 7 or netBook is known to survive.''' Unlike the [[Psion Series 5 Service Manual|Series 5]], there is no published exploded view, parts list or factory fault-code table for these machines. Everything below comes from Psion's own support answers, the contemporary community FAQ, or documented owner experience, and is cited accordingly.

== ⚠️ Before you start ==

* '''Back up first.''' The internal disk is RAM. Diagnosis on these machines involves removing batteries, and there are documented ways to lose the lot — see [[#Removing the battery can wipe the machine|below]].
* '''Remove all batteries, main and backup, before opening anything''' or changing the ROM/memory module.<ref name="faqgen">[https://www.oocities.org/epoc_32/general.html "Psion Series 7 FAQ: General & hardware information"], oocities.org/epoc_32 (February 2000). Source for the reset procedures, the ROM-board swap, the screen and backlight behaviour, the microphone location, the Notify button, the CompactFlash advice and the memory figures.</ref>
* '''There are no mains voltages inside''' the machine. The external supply is 15.5 V at 1.5 A.<ref name="faqpower">[https://www.oocities.org/epoc_32/power.html "Psion Series 7 FAQ: Power supply & charging"], oocities.org/epoc_32. Source for the adapter rating and the comparative table of Psion power supplies, the battery description, the runtime figures and the 70 % charging-LED behaviour.</ref> The '''Li-ion pack''' deserves respect in its own right — see [[Psion Series 7 Battery Service]].
* Anti-static precautions throughout.

== Step 1: is it actually broken? ==

An unusual number of Series 7 and netBook "faults" are the machine working as designed. Check this table before opening anything.

{| class="wikitable styled-table" style="width:100%; text-align:left;"
|+'''Things that are not faults'''
! Behaviour !! Explanation
|-
| '''The screen is noticeably dimmer for about 20 seconds after switching on''' || Normal warm-up behaviour of the STN panel.<ref name="faqgen" />
|-
| '''The backlight cannot be turned off''' || There is no function to do so, "even using System.opx in OPL". The panel is not reflective, so it looks dimmer under bright light rather than better.<ref name="faqgen" />
|-
| '''The charging LED goes out before the battery is full''' || By design. The charge LED extinguishes at about '''70 % capacity'''; a full charge takes up to 3 hours. A pack that "won't charge fully" is very often this.<ref name="faqpower" />
|-
| '''The green LED is on whenever the mains adapter is connected''' || Normal. Charging is shown by the green LED turning yellow and the red LED to its left glowing; the red LED dims as charging proceeds, then goes out and the yellow returns to green.<ref name="faqgen" />
|-
| '''The machine cuts out suddenly with no warning dimming''' || Li-ion machines are designed to stop well before the cells are exhausted. The display does not fade as the battery drains — the machine simply stops.<ref name="faqgen" />
|-
| '''Runtime halves at full brightness''' || Expect roughly a 50 % reduction, and it probably shortens panel life too.<ref name="faqgen" />
|-
| '''A CompactFlash card rattles about 6 mm in its drawer''' || Normal — the play exists to accept Type II devices.<ref name="faqbugs">[https://www.oocities.org/epoc_32/bugs.html "Psion Series 7 FAQ: Known issues & bugs"], oocities.org/epoc_32. Source for the battery-catch microswitch fault, the touchscreen calibration bug and its cure in build 756, the CompactFlash drawer play, the PC Card modem current problem, the Add/Remove crash and the build 754 slowdown.</ref>
|-
| '''A small hole to the right and front of the keyboard, like a Series 3 reset hole''' || That is '''the microphone'''. The reset hole is under the backup battery hatch.<ref name="faqgen" />
|-
| '''Old Series 5 Word files are painfully slow to scroll and type in''' || The Series 7 renders them at Series 5 physical size, leaving a 25 mm gap. Copy the contents into a new Series 7 file and the problem goes.<ref name="faqbugs" />
|}

== Step 2: the screen cable — the defining fault ==

'''If the display fades, goes patchy, or the touchscreen stops registering taps, suspect the screen cable before anything else.''' This is the Series 7 and netBook equivalent of the Series 5's ribbon: the cable itself is sound, but the clamp connector on the motherboard loses grip.

Psion's own support answer:<ref name="psionsupport">Psion support answer, quoted on the [https://www.hpcfactor.com/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=16452&start=1 HPC:Factor thread "Psion Netbook Pro — unresponsive touchscreen"], 28 October 2011. Psion's published advice on the Series 7 and netBook screen-cable fault, including the badge-press fix and the cardboard-wedge repair.</ref>

<blockquote>
This is quite a common problem with Psion Series 7s and netBooks. Your screen cable is loose and (in the worst case) may need replacing. One quick fix is to press firmly on the 'netBook' (or 'Series 7') logo, above the keyboard. This is often enough to reseat the cable and restore a solid connection for a while. If this doesn't work, you'll need to partially disassemble your machine to get to the screen cable... you remove the logo label between the keyboard and display, then remove the only screw that you'll see. Lift off the top and then extract the pins that hold the screen. When you get to the screen cable, a semi-permanent repair is to insert a wedge of cardboard between the cable and the base of the unit.
</blockquote>

The community reached the same place independently, and considered it close to inevitable: "Yes, I think it is inevitable — EXCEPT for Psion's last batch of Netbooks, which had their third or fourth attempt at fixing the screen cable problem (which seemingly actually worked)."<ref name="pwiki">[http://psionwiki.wikidot.com/series-7-repair-and-supplies "Series 7 Repair And Supplies"], PsionWiki. Source for the dismantling advice originating with Thomas F. van der Zijden, the fragility of the white screen-cable clamp, the failing-screen discussion, the paper-shim preventative and the vibration observation.</ref>

=== The repair ===

'''Read the whole procedure before starting.''' One step in it can destroy the machine.

# '''Remove all batteries''' — main pack, backup cell, the personality/ROM module and any memory expansion.<ref name="pwiki" />
# '''Warm the badge sticker''' with a hairdryer for about 15 seconds and peel it off. '''Cover the keyboard with paper or card while you do this''', or you will lift the key legends too. If it does not come away easily, warm it again.<ref name="pwiki" />
# '''Remove the single screw''' underneath the sticker.<ref name="pwiki" /><ref name="newell">Craig Newell, [http://netwinder.osuosl.org/users/c/craign/public_html/netbook/insides/index.html "Disassembling the NetBook"], 14 December 1999. Source for the disassembly sequence, the keyboard removal, the side mouldings and their screws, the battery sense switch and the LCD flexible PCB screws.</ref>
# With the screen in its half-open position, '''remove the hinge pins''' beside the ROM/memory card slots.<ref name="pwiki" />
# '''Lift away the plastic strip''' carrying the badge, the on/off button and the stylus button. It takes some force; do not crack it.<ref name="pwiki" />
# '''Deal with the screen connector.''' There are different connector designs; some need two screws removed first. '''Note exactly how the cable sat before you disturb it.'''<ref name="pwiki" />
# '''⚠️ Lift the white clamp very carefully.''' This is the step that ends machines: "The white thingy that actually holds the cable onto the motherboard should be carefully lifted up. If you put too much force on it and you break it, the motherboard is a total loss."<ref name="pwiki" />
# '''Shim and reseat.''' Psion's own advice is a wedge of cardboard between the cable and the base.<ref name="psionsupport" /> The community variant is a piece of paper laid parallel with the cable under the clamp, with the same piece continuing under the two-screw cover.<ref name="pwiki" />
# '''Support the lid while you refit the screws.''' One owner's repair failed because the machine was lying flat and the cable slipped out as the screws went back; putting a book under the screen fixed it.<ref name="pwiki" />

=== Making it last ===

Vibration is implicated. One owner traced repeat failures to carrying the machine in a rucksack pocket that rested against a bicycle frame; moving it to a front pocket stopped the recurrence.<ref name="pwiki" />

The cable design is not the problem — the clamp is, and the clamp cannot be replaced without working on the motherboard itself.<ref name="pwiki" />

== Step 3: removing the battery can wipe the machine ==

'''This is the most destructive documented fault on the Series 7, and it is not obvious.'''

A microswitch in the battery lock mechanism is meant to switch the machine off when you slide the catch to release the pack, leaving the backup cell to hold RAM. '''On some machines it turns the backlight on instead.''' The screen lights but stays black, the system never shuts down, and when the pack comes out the surge is more than the 3 V backup cell can carry. The machine cold-boots and the entire internal disk — data, applications and settings — is gone.<ref name="faqbugs" />

'''The safe procedure:'''

# Slide the catch back and '''look at the screen'''.
# If it appears to power up but stays black, '''hold the catch open with one hand and switch the machine off with the other'''.<ref name="faqbugs" />
# Only then slide the pack out.

Worse, '''one of the rubber feet sits on the underside of the battery catch'''. Sliding the machine across a table, or carrying it loose in a bag, has been enough to pull the catch open and reset the machine.<ref name="faqbugs" />

== Symptom table ==

{| class="wikitable styled-table" style="width:100%; text-align:left;"
|+'''Psion Series 7 and netBook — fault symptoms'''
! Symptom !! Likely cause !! Action
|-
| '''Display fades, goes patchy, or needs pressure on the badge to look right''' || '''Screen cable loose in its motherboard clamp''' || Press the badge for a temporary cure; then shim the cable. See above.<ref name="psionsupport" /><ref name="pwiki" />
|-
| '''Touchscreen ignores the stylus or drifts, and recalibration does not help''' || Same cable fault — or, on build 754, an OS bug || Try the badge press first. If that fails, '''soft reset''' via the hole under the backup battery hatch. The OS bug was cured in '''build 756''' (early 2000); Series 7 owners of 754 machines cannot patch it.<ref name="faqbugs" /><ref name="psionsupport" />
|-
| '''Internal disk wiped after changing the battery''' || '''Battery-catch microswitch lighting the backlight instead of powering down''' || See above. Not recoverable after the fact — this is a procedure to adopt, not a repair.<ref name="faqbugs" />
|-
| '''Machine resets itself in a bag or when slid across a desk''' || The rubber foot on the battery catch dragging the catch open || Same fault. Check the catch and the foot.<ref name="faqbugs" />
|-
| '''Machine gradually slows until everything crawls; applications start but draw nothing''' || '''Build 754 OS fault''' || Soft reset. "This problem doesn't seem to happen with the later '756' build."<ref name="faqbugs" />
|-
| '''"Disk not present" for the D: drive, or a card that vanishes mid-write''' || '''CompactFlash drawer''' — the plastic stops do not push the card onto the contacts firmly enough on some machines || Shim behind the card with a small piece of card as you close the drawer. Do not use anything thick, and make sure it cannot come loose inside.<ref name="faqbugs" />
|-
| '''PC Card modem unrecognised, or connects only at low speed''' || '''Current draw.''' The Series 7 cannot supply as much current to the PC Card slot as a netBook, and V90 cards are the worst offenders — including Psion's own Gold cards || Force V34: set the modem Data Init string to '''AT+MS=11''' in the Control Panel. Winmodems will never work — they need Windows.<ref name="faqbugs" />
|-
| '''PC Card works in a netBook but not this Series 7''' || Board revision. Later boards supply more current; '''revision 10 began in week 35 of 2002''' || Check the manufacturing week in the serial number on the slip inside the CompactFlash slot.<ref name="lindsay" />
|-
| '''Microphone records nothing, or works intermittently''' || '''The microphone connection is a press fit and tends to fail''' || "Pressing down very hard on the case above the microphone (near right hand shift key) will often cure it for a while."<ref name="lindsay" />
|-
| '''Serial port dead after using a serial mouse''' || A serial mouse draws its power from the port. One report describes burning out the port on a Psion this way; the mouse worked right up to the moment it did || Do not power a mouse from the port. Use a self-powered device or a PC Card serial port.<ref name="openpsion">OpenPsion, [https://linux-7110.sourceforge.net/howtos/netbook_new/x1042.htm "Linux on the Psion netBook HOWTO — FAQs"]. Source for the serial-mouse port burnout report, the serial cable being a null-modem type, the Series 7/netBook kernel differences and the battery rebuild pointer.</ref>
|-
| '''External serial device will not talk to the machine''' || Not a fault. '''The Psion serial cable is a null-modem cable''' || Add a null-modem adapter to "un-null" it when connecting a modem or GPS.<ref name="openpsion" />
|-
| '''Control Panel soft resets the machine when Add/Remove is opened''' || A stray non-SIS file in the install folder || Go to '''*:\System\Install\''' and delete or move any file that does not carry the installer icon.<ref name="faqbugs" />
|-
| '''Blank screen but the machine seems to be on''' || Screen cable, or contrast/brightness at an extreme || Badge press first, then brightness, then disassembly.<ref name="psionsupport" />
|-
| '''Machine will not switch on at all''' || Flat pack; pack not seated; failed pack || Fit the mains adapter and try again. The pack is not user-serviceable as designed — see [[Psion Series 7 Battery Service]].<ref name="faqpower" />
|-
| '''Corrosion in the backup cell compartment''' || Leaked coin cell || Neutralise and clean. See [[Battery Explosion, Capacitor or Corrosion Damage]].
|}

== Resets ==

Both procedures use the '''reset hole under the backup battery hatch'''.<ref name="faqgen" />

{| class="wikitable styled-table" style="width:100%; text-align:left;"
! Reset !! Procedure !! What survives
|-
| '''Soft''' || Insert an unfolded paperclip gently '''until you feel a small click'''. Turn the machine on without touching any keys as it reboots. || Saved data survives. Changes to open files are lost, and some display, keyboard and Extras-bar settings revert.<ref name="faqgen" />
|-
| '''Hard''' || With the machine on, insert the paperclip '''until the screen turns off'''. Then '''hold down both Shift keys''' as you turn it on. A single beep, then the logo for about 10 seconds, then the demo files. || Nothing. The internal disk is wiped. '''The Series 7 manual is wrong''' when it says a hard reset requires removing all batteries for a period — the Shift method works and is far less trouble.<ref name="faqgen" />
|}

== What is realistically repairable ==

{| class="wikitable styled-table" style="width:100%; text-align:left;"
! Part !! Repairable? !! Notes
|-
| '''Screen cable seating''' || '''Yes''' || The highest-value repair on the machine, and Psion documented the fix themselves.<ref name="psionsupport" />
|-
| '''Screen cable clamp''' || '''No, practically''' || Soldered to the motherboard. Breaking it while lifting it means a donor board.<ref name="pwiki" />
|-
| '''Battery pack''' || '''Yes''' || Rebuildable with new 18650 cells. See [[Psion netBook Battery Service]].
|-
| '''Backup cell''' || Yes || Standard CR2032, still widely stocked.
|-
| '''Keyboard''' || '''Yes''' || New-old-stock Series 7 / netBook keyboards are still sold in several layouts under part numbers of the form '''S7_KBD-UK''', '''-US''', '''-DE''', '''-FR''', '''-ES''' and '''-NO'''.<ref name="psionex">[https://psionex.co.uk/en/product/pda/netbook/spare-parts.html "Spare Parts — Netbook & Series 7"] and [https://psionex.co.uk/repairs/pda/svc-s7 "Psion Series 7 Repair Service"], Psionex, Lincoln. Source for the keyboard part numbers and the availability of a commercial repair service. Stock and prices change; check before relying on them.</ref> The keyboard itself is '''a sealed unit and should not be further disassembled'''.<ref name="lindsay" />
|-
| '''Microphone contact''' || Yes || A press fit that can be reseated.<ref name="lindsay" />
|-
| '''RAM (board-level)''' || For SMD-capable hands || Two unfitted DRAM sites exist. Use low-power parts — the DRAM is powered continuously.<ref name="lindsay" />
|-
| '''ROM / personality module''' || '''Yes, by swapping''' || See [[Psion Series 7]] for what changes and the direction that is safe.
|-
| '''LCD panel''' || Donor only || No source of replacement panels is known.
|-
| '''NEC ASIC, Philips CPLD''' || '''No''' || Custom parts. A failure means a donor board.<ref name="newell" />
|}

'''Psion Digital ceased all repair activity for the legacy range on 1 June 2005.'''<ref name="pwikirep">[http://psionwiki.wikidot.com/repairs-and-supplies "Repairs and supplies"], PsionWiki, quoting Psion's own support page. Source for the 1 June 2005 end of Psion repair services and the list of successor repairers.</ref> A commercial repair service for the Series 7 still exists at Psionex in Lincoln.<ref name="psionex" />

== Capacitors ==

'''These machines are not recap candidates, and nobody has ever reported one needing it.'''

A search of the surviving Series 7 and netBook community record — the Series 7 FAQ's own hardware fault list, PsionWiki, the OpenPsion HOWTO, comp.sys.psion, HPC:Factor and the modern collector write-ups — turns up '''no report of a failed capacitor, a bulging or leaking electrolytic, or anyone recapping one of these machines'''. The four hardware faults the community actually documents are the screen cable, the battery-catch microswitch, the CompactFlash drawer and PC Card current draw, and none of them is a capacitor.<ref name="faqbugs" /><ref name="pwiki" />

That is why '''no capacitor replacement guide is listed for the Series 7, netBook or netBook Pro''' on [[:Category:Psion]]. Capacitor work on one of these is justified only by evidence in front of you — corrosion damage from a leaked cell, or a tantalum that has failed short, which presents as a dead machine drawing heavy current the instant power is applied. For method in those two cases, the equivalent section of the [[Psion Series 5mx Capacitor Replacement Guide]] covers a comparable low-voltage surface-mount board. For recognising a genuinely failed capacitor when you do meet one, see [[Capacitor Failure Symptoms]].

== Related pages ==

* [[Psion Series 7]] · [[Psion Series 7 General Maintenance]] · [[Psion Series 7 Battery Service]]
* [[Psion netBook Troubleshooting Guide]] · [[Psion netBook Pro Troubleshooting Guide]]
* [[Battery Explosion, Capacitor or Corrosion Damage]] · [[Recommended Tools]]

== References ==

<references />

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[[Category:Psion]]
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